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Thanks to the Access Pass, you can visit a wide variety of cultural attractions, museums, and more for just $2 per person, per visit. The Access Pass attractions appeal to a wide variety of ages, interests, and passions but it can be a little overwhelming to know where to start or what each attraction offers. Check out the itineraries below for some suggestions on where to go for your sports fan, nature lover, and more.
For Sports Fans
10 a.m.
Start your day at The Children's Museum of Indianapolis visiting the indoor areas of the Riley Children’s Health Sports Legends Experience®. Admission to the museum, including the Riley Sports Legends Experience is $2 for Access Pass members. Parking at The Children’s Museum is always free. While there, check out The World of Sport, an interactive and immersive space to learn about sports, and the National Art Museum of Sport.
Noon
Break for lunch, grabbing a bite to eat at the outdoor food vendors or at the indoor food court. Access Pass members receive 10% off food purchases. The Children’s Museum also has seating in the food court dining room if you want to bring your own lunch. After lunch, practice your touchdown dance in First & Goal.
2 p.m.
Head four miles south to the NCAA Hall of Champions, where you’ll dive into the world of collegiate sports. Parking is available in the White River State Park underground garage; ask the admissions desk about validating your ticket. Start your visit in the theater with a short video introducing the history of the NCAA. From there, wander the first floor to view current team rankings and challenge your sports trivia knowledge. Upstairs, it’s all hands on with sports simulators, a 1930s retro gymnasium, and fitness challenges.
3:30 p.m.
Soak in the storied history of car racing in Indiana at your last stop of the day, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum. More than 25 Indianapolis 500-winning cars are on display at the museum, and you can also see race memorabilia, race gear, and the infamous Borg-Warner trophy. Watch an eight-minute video on the history of the ndy 500 in the Tony Hulman Theatre and browse the racing art gallery. Before you leave, live your own photo finish with a picture in a real Indy car. Parking at the IMS Museum is free on non-event days.
5 p.m.
Make your way back home, dreaming of your fun-filled (and sports-filled!) day.
For Nature Lovers
10 a.m.
Begin your day at Conner Prairie, where history comes alive at several awesome outdoor exhibits. Wander through Prairietown, seeing how life was lived in 1863, helping with chores, attending a one-room school, and learning a pioneer trade. Cross the covered bridge and right into the Civil War in 1863. Guests can learn more about the recent raid by Confederate soldiers, participate in military drills, and splash around in the River Crossing play area.
Noon
Refuel with lunch. Conner Prairie has food available for purchase at Café on the Common or you can bring your lunch and dine in the designated picnic areas. After lunch, climb into the sky at the 4-story Treetop Outpost. When you’re done climbing, explore Fort Hoosier, dig in the sand pit, build your own log house, and explore nature.
3 p.m.
Arrive at Newfields to experience art and nature collide. Walk through The Garden, appreciating the beauty and how nature creates its own art. Newfields has printed maps to help navigate the pathways, or you can also join a tram tour in the summer months.
4 p.m.
Enjoy even more fresh air at the adjacent Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park, known affectionately as 100 Acres. The 100-acre park surrounds a pond, with walking trails circumnavigating the shoreline. The park also has several larger-than-life sculptures and art installations, as well as a wild grass labyrinth and bird viewing and feeding stations.
5 p.m.
Hit the road, happily exhausted from all the fresh air you enjoyed today!
For Hoosiers at Heart
10 a.m.
Whether you’re a bred, born and raised Hoosier or an Indiana transplant, you’ll appreciate the journey through Indiana history at the Indiana State Museum. Parking is just $5 in the White River State Park Garage with a paid ticket to the museum. You’ll walk through the history of Indiana, starting with the birth of the earth, moving into the days of the Native Americans who first called Indiana home, and seeing the transition from pioneer life to the 19th state to modern day Indiana.
Noon
Make the short half-mile walk to the Indiana Historical Society for a bite to eat at the Stardust Terrace Café, situated right along the canal. Or, pack a picnic lunch to enjoy at one of the many benches and tables along the water’s side. After lunch, stop into the Indiana Historical Society, where you’ll be treated to a look at Indiana through the years at Destination Indiana and the History Lab.
3 p.m.
Follow the canal back toward the Indiana State Museum, enjoying the views of the water along the way. Spend the rest of your afternoon exploring American Originals, a gallery of 20th century Indiana legends and the Legacy Theater, celebrating the cultural experience of black heritage in the state. Don’t miss the rotating exhibits at the Indiana State Museum as well.
5 p.m.
Time to head home, full of knowledge about the 19th state and a little more Hoosier love.
For Future Performers
10 a.m.
Get ready to rock! Your first stop is Rhythm! Discovery Center where you don’t have to work and you get to bang on the drums all day if you want. This highly-interactive music center and percussion museum teaches the history of percussion instruments and how percussion plays a role in many cultures. You’ll get to see a variety of percussion instruments from around the world and even try many of them out for yourself. Parking for Rhythm! Discovery Center is available at any of the nearby parking garages.
Noon
Enjoy one of the many downtown restaurants for a bite to eat; several options are available to suit all cuisine cravings and budgets. You could also pack a picnic lunch and enjoy it at Military Park, just a short 0.6-mile walk from Rhythm! Discovery Center.
1 p.m.
Head north up Meridian Street to The Children's Museum of Indianapolis. See the latest show in the Lilly Theater. It is recommended that you arrive 20 minutes before the show and go to the lobby outside Lilly Theater. To ensure social distancing within the audience, a staff member will usher each family group to their seats. The museum produces at least three shows a year, including the current holiday production of The Santa Clues It runs from November through early January.
3 p.m.
The American POP exhibit at The Children's Museum of Indianapolis is full of American pop culture references, items, and nostalgia. You’ll see everything from TV to theater, fashion to film, music to comics—a little something for every performer and dreamer.
5 p.m.
Turn down the lights and give yourself a standing ovation!
For Art Enthusiasts
10 a.m.
The only museum of its type in the Midwest, the Eiteljorg Museum of Native American and Western Art is a must-see for any art lover. The museum’s collection includes Western and Native American art and cultural objects, telling the stories of these cultures and their people. You’ll enjoy pieces from lesser known artists, as well as prolific names like T.C. Cannon, Andy Warhol, Georgia O’Keeffe and Kay WalkingStick. Parking for the Eiteljorg is available in the White River State Park Garage and is free with validation from the front desk staff.
1 p.m.
Stop into the Eiteljorg Museum Café for lunch or bring your own lunch and enjoy Military Park just outside the museum, across the canal.
2 p.m.
Head to Newfields, where you’ll dive into a world of art and nature. The extensive galleries have a little something for every art taste—everything from Rembrandt to O’Keeffe, Neo-Impressionist to Pop Art, ancient Greece to South American art. The museum has several rotating galleries as well for temporary and special exhibits. Parking at Newfields is free in the surface lot and parking garage.
4 p.m.
Don’t miss all the outdoor art as well; Newfields has The Garden and Fairbanks Park, both with outdoor sculptures and art installations. Pick up a map from the friendly front desk and make your way around the grounds.
5 p.m.
It’s time to call it a day and dream of all the amazing art you saw today!
